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Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

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Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#151

Post by 2snakes »

jordan314 wrote: post #76
52-6F-62 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some writer and artists would use the following: Hold a key in one of your hands and hang your hand down by your side while you let yourself fall asleep while sitting in a chair (honestly this first part sounds the most difficult). When you fall asleep—or rather the trance-like borderlands between awake and sleep— you should naturally drop the key (or whatever metallic, noise-making object) which should spring you ba…

Didn't Benjamin Franklin sleep at his desk with a stick propped under his elbow, so when the stick fell out he would invent stuff? I remember hearing that somewhere but now I can't find it

Maybe but IIRC Tesla would hold a ball in his hand before dozing and dropping.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#152

Post by forkexec »

Psychedelics, and maybe weed, boost creativity. So which class of compound depends if you're writing a novel or painting an album cover, or writing code or solving NP =?= P.

Btw, caffeine is an anticholinergic; too many or too much of this class of compounds leads to dementia and other permanent problems. Anecdotal example: ex-stepfather abused diphenhydramine, had a personality change and acted erratically... he eventually gave up, left my semi-disabled mom without any notice, just an email.

https://www.healthline.com/health/anticholinergics

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#153

Post by 8bitsrule »

Some definitions of these terms are in order, because many aspects of creativity certainly involve problem-solving on a massive scale. 'Inspiration' may not be boosted, but without execution the inspiration isn't realized.

Consider e.g. a concert pianist (interpreting a score) or a visual artist (choosing paint, brushstrokes).

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#154

Post by nicoburns »

clarry wrote: post #80
nicoburns wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, a former colleague of mine told me they used to regularly drink a pint of beer with an evening of coding, until on one occasion they introduced a subtle bug which took them two days to hunt down. They were working in C, which makes it a lot easier to introduce subtle bugs than most languages, but I certainly think twice about coding while under the influence since I heard that story!

Are we to infer that your colleague hardly ever made subtle bugs? I can make plenty of those.. and I've never had beer.

That would probably be a reasonable inference. He was one of the sharpest developers I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#155

Post by copperx »

pandigital wrote: post #147

Erdos[0] certainly felt his creativity was helped by caffeine (and amphetamines). From personal experience, math professors seem to be the most reliable academic users of nicotine and caffeine. I'm skeptical they are all deluding themselves. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s

From my experience, amphetamines make the crazy ideas you've had all along feel actionable. You then put a lot of work on them and they produce fruits. Then you get off amphetamines and you're amazed at how much you accomplished. I still go back to some projects that I did while on Adderall and am in awe of how much I accomplished in a few months on my own, and how many of my ideas that I had simmered in my head for decades were doable once I sat down and worked on them.

However, after months of amphetamines I felt like I was a workhorse with no novel ideas or approaches, but still very efficient.

I've heard that mathematicians carry a well-tested mental toolset that enable them to solve all kinds of problems. So, perhaps if you have the right toolset and you just need to put work on an problem, amphetamines can work great.

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#158

Post by ip26 »

empath75 wrote: post #148
kgonza wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not... Ah, in your experience. I missed that, initially. I meant to write "Not khat," which gives me the best inspiration ever (and a crash that lasts days when I get off of it).

But you wouldn’t know if you were boring to other people would you?

Ridiculous, anyone would find my meticulous collection of geological specimens fascinating!

Re: Caffeine boosts problem-solving ability but not creativity, study indicates

#160

Post by jotto »

pizza wrote: post #131
simonsarris wrote: post #68

Ha, if true that would confirm Balzac's claim: > Coffee is a great power in my life; I have observed its effects on an epic scale. Coffee roasts your insides. Many people claim coffee inspires them, but, as everybody knows, coffee only makes boring people even more boring. From "The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee, 1830, http://blissbat.net/balzac.html

Balzac famously (apocryphally, perhaps?) known for drinking 50 cups of coffee a day! This part resonated with me: > When you have reached the point of consuming this kind of coffee, then become exhausted and decide that you really must have more, even though you make it of the finest ingredients and take it perfectly fresh, you will fall into horrible sweats, suffer feebleness of the nerves, and undergo episodes of s…

I styled/modeled roast.io pricing page after Balzac and a few other famous coffee drinkers: https://www.roast.io/pricing
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